Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression of VIT-1 gene in melanocytes of patients with vitiligo, and to analyze the difference of its sequence. Methods The skin from the foreskins of healthy men by circumcision and from the non-lesional area on the buttocks of 5 patients were digested by dispase, then the epidermis and dermis were separated, and the melanocytes were isolated. Then we cultured the melanocytes from the controls in TICVA medium and those from the patients in TICVA medium supplemented with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and endothelin-1 (ET-1). The expression of VIT-1 gene was measured by RT-PCR, the full-length cDNA of VIT-1 ORF was cloned and sequenced, and sequence difference was analyzed by CLUSTAL W (1.83) software. Results The expression levels of VIT-1 gene were significantly lower in melanocytes from the patients than in those from the controls. An 81 bp-intron was found in the VIT-1 ORF. VIT-1 was a fragment of FBXO11, located at its 3' end. Conclusion VIT-1 gene is not a new gene, but a fragment of FBXO11, and a member of F-box protein family.

Key words: Vitiligo, Melanocytes, F-box proteins, VIT-1 gene, FBXO11